The Portland daily press., 1887-09-09
DRIVING TO CANADA.
Medically Believed to Have Hired a
Team In WatervilIe.
Mysterious Strangers, One of
Whom ResembIed Saco's Thief.
They Depart for Oakland and Fall to
Show Up.
Especial to the PRESS

WATERvILLE, Sept. S.-There is possibi-
lity hatWaterville can furnish clue as to the
movements of the Saco Bank robber. Frank
McNeally. A week ago Tuesday, the day
after the disappearance Of McNeally, at
o'clock in the evening two strangers applied
to w. I. Clarkson's livery stable in this
place, for team to go to Oakland. They
paid in advance and drove rapidly away
Since then no trace has been found of either
men or team. As they did not return that
night, Mr.. Clarkson became alarmed and
drove to Oakland discovering nothing, how
eyer. He then sent all over the State print
ed postal cards bearing q description of the
men and of the horse and buggy, but all to
no effect 1t occurring to Deputy Sheriff
Hill that the description given Of the young
er horse thief Tailed exactly with that Of
McNeally, he hurriedly wrote to Detective
True of Portland requesting that a photo
graph of the young man be sent him. On its
arrival it was shown to the hostler in the
stable who let the team. He said to repre-
sentative Of the PRESS to-day: "The
younger of the two men was, should think,
10 or 20 years Of age. He was tall and slim
and quite straight. He was smooth face and
good looking. He was dressed in rather
loose fitting suit Of black and wore laced
flannel shirt and black derby hat. His
companion was about 26 or 27 years of age.
He was thick set and had red face. He
wore black suit Of clothes and black soft
hat"
When asked if the picture shown him by
Mr.. Hill resembled either Of the men, he re-
piled: 1T looked exactly like the young
fellow as should think he would appear
with his hat off and better dressed. When
MIR. Hill hid The upper part Of the head it
gave perfect likeness of him. l would
wager hundred dollars that the picture
and the young man were one and the same ?
DID you notice anything strange about
their appearance at the time?"
The younger one seemed in great hurry
to get away. He proposed going to another
stable, as there was some delay in harness.
ing, but the older one said they had better
wait. While waiting he appeared nervous
and walked about the stable. | noticed it,
but thought nothing Of it at the time"
What did they say they wanted Of the
team?" was asked.
"They said they wanted it to drive to Oak
land to see friend and would be back in a
few hours. One of them told me that they
were printers, and the other told another
hostler that they were plumbers. They
The younger said, We can't 60 to work in
the morning till we fix that press and short
ly afterwards one said, i guess I'll run up to
the house and get my overcoat,' but the 9TH
er told him he had better wait and they
would drive up after it,
The stable boy who was present, when in
viewed, told the same story as far as he
knew, he not being present during but part
OF the time the men were there.
Mr.. Clarkson and Sheriff Hill both beliey-
ed the tn hava haQu MaNaa1Iv md
companion, and all the circumstances would
go to show that such was the case. They
could have left Portland by the Pullman
Monday night, and being aware that by the
next day the telegraph would have warned
the authorities in all the cities, could have
left the train at Waterville at o'clock on
the morning of Tuesday. They would then
have been afraid to travel by daylight, and
would naturally have remained concealed
during the day and travelled towards Cana
da after dark. Wateryille is but IS miles
from the Dominion line, the nearest point
they could reach by train from Portland
Monday night. News of the robbery had
@ not reached Wateryilie Tuesday night when
these men procured the team at the stable,
and no description of the thief had reached
the officers here. When the whole affair, in
all its pros and cons, is considered, it appears
to be consistent with a reasonable plan of
escape that McNeally should have chosen
this way. Deputy Sheriff Hill has been in
correspondence with Detective True in rsla-
tion to the matter.
A railroad switchman thinks he saw Nc
Neatly in Dover, Tuesday of last week.
crookedness In the Accounts.
SAco. Sept. s.-Thus far about 500 de-
positors' books have been brought to the
Saco and Biddeford Savings Institution for
comparison with the bank accounts. 1t is
now stated that crookedness has been dis
covered in McNeally's connection with the
deposit books.
Bank Examiner Richards declines to make
any statement touching this matter until
the investigation is completed. He, how
ever, acknowledges that his theory from the
outset has been that McNeally's bold rob
berry was not his first dishonest act in con-
nectlon with the bank, but that he had stolen
small sums from the money deposited for
several months prior to the day of the great
robbery but he thought 1t would not amount
to over 1000.
The bank examiner further states that he
hopes to be able to make complete official
statement of the banks condition by Sep
tember 18th. He believes that after the in
yestlgation is completed it will be found that
the bank has surplus over all the liabilities
of nearly half million.
A New President
Hon. Edward p. Burnham OF Roxbury, a
former treasurer Of the instition, win return
to this city and will hereafter be connected
with the duties in the bank President
Goodale resigned in favor of Mr.. Burnham
atthe last annual meeting in July, and il
was expected the latter would begin duties
before the recent robbery.
In conversation with a PRESS reporter at
the Falmouth Hotel, last evening, MIR.
Richards said that McNeally was practically
the teller Of the bank, receiving deposits
and paying out demands, consequently he
kept daily cash book which was balanced
every night. Mr.. Richards had been at work
Tor three days examining every entry and
every addition for year in that book and
proving them by the treasurer's cash book,
which Is balanced once a week.
Mr. Richards said that. during his absence
IN camden, the clerk, who he had left in the
bank, would make trial balance OF the in
divldual ledger and assist the treasurer in
the bank. When the work was completed
the exact standing of the bank would be as
eertained, showing any errors, If there were
any IN bookkeeping, or peculations Of Nc
Mr.. Richards said he did not think that
McNeally took funds from the bank until af-
ter March Goth, when he made an exanlina-
tion Of the bank, because Mr.. Kelley was
away when he first called at the bank at that
time, and he and NcNeally went over the
cash together. Mr. Richards made it over
run twenty cents, and McNeally explained
by saying he took two trade dollars at ninety
cents each which made the difference. Mr..
Richards thinks that when the treasurer, Mr..
Kelley, went to Kennebunk, McNeally knew
his peculations would soon be discovered
and he determined to rob the bank because
he thought he, IL caught, would have to go to
Thomaston anyway.